Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform > World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASPS)

Trial for a Paradise Cove survivor starts.

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Ursus:

--- Quote from: "DannyB II" ---
--- Quote from: "Pile of Dead Kids" ---
--- Quote from: "John Sutton, quoting Sue Scheff," ---"He became too difficult to deal with. We were at our wit's end."
--- End quote ---
Even now, with his vision blown out of his head and his wife a corpse, he continues to repeat the same bullshit.

Amazing.
--- End quote ---
Spoken from the mouth of a disturbed young patho that beats up mothers and disgraces 15 year old girls, now he is beating up a blinded father that was shot in the face by his son. A father that was at his wits end with his out of control son.
Pile of Dead Kids, in case anyone is not up to date, just got through maybe a week ago posting a 15 year old girls, private information on a porn site because her parents would not listen to his advice, not to send her to a program. I know, I don't get it either.
This is the unstable and provocative poster we have to deal with here, so I would suggest placating him at this time with a subtle "roll of the eyes" maybe. Please be careful here.
--- End quote ---
LOL. And this last spoken by someone who considers Anne Bonney's avatar to be the equivalent of porn and who has consequently degraded, derided and harassed her on a public forum for said choice. Geez Louise...

Incidentally, Danny, most folks do not consider the social satire site Encyclopedia Dramatica to rise quite to the level of "porn" even if and/or when they consider it to be in "bad taste." I admit that some of the material can be a bit much sometimes.

Ursus:
Back to the story at hand...

Video news coverage at the title link below:

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7NEWS - WSVN.com
Man testifies against son in parent-killing trial
Posted:  07/15/10 at 6:05 am EDT · Last Updated:  07/15/10 at 3:34 pm EDT

MIAMI (WSVN) -- A father took the stand inside the Metro Justice Building on Wednesday to testify against his own son, who allegedly hired a friend to kill his parents in August of 2004.

Prosecutors said Christopher Sutton hatched the plot with Garret Kopp to have John and Susan Sutton killed. According to police, Kopp entered the couple's Coral Gables home, fatally shot Christopher's mother and then fired at her husband's head.

John, a civil attorney, survived the attempt on his life but was left blind. "In those very brief moments, I see the door shut, and all of a sudden I see a black hat, a black shirt, black pants and bam," he said, before an audience that included his son.

"I knew I was in very deep, deep trouble. I knew I was really, really hurt, and I wasn't very clear, I said something about my head, and frankly I don't know now how I knew it was my head, but I knew I was really in bad shape," John said. "There's nothing there in my right eye. In my left eye I only have a little light and dark. In second place, after my eyes, would be my sinuses, my nose and my lip."

Prosecutors claim that the younger Sutton wanted revenge against his parents because they sent him to a boarding school in the Samoas that he did not like and that Christopher believed he was going to get some money.

Kopp has accepted a plea deal with the state that would see him spend 30 years in jail in exchange for testimony against Christopher, who faces a first degree murder charge. The defense, who will follow the prosecution in questioning, argue that Kopp acted alone amidst a drug-infused haze.

Christopher has been charged with murder and attempted murder.

The defense will continue to call witnesses on Thursday.


Copyright 2010 by Sunbeam Television Corp.

Ursus:
Comments left for the above article, "Man testifies against son in parent-killing trial" (07/15/10, WSVN.com):


myopinion73 · 1 week ago
A good farther tries to make his son a better man than these sorry thugs that make the news on a daily basis on murder, robbery and raping charges is rewarded with violence that severely injured him. What a shame? I am not the one to cry that easily but looking at the farther's injured eye just gives me the urge to strangle this SOB myself.holmesrip2 · 3 days ago
Dear WSVN News:

Thank you for this excellent news coverage of the Christopher Sutton trial.

Your coverage, and that of WFOR TV, provides important insight, to me, which I appreciate.

I knew attorney Teddy Montoto, former law partner of attorney John Sutton, one of the two victims in this case, and we were still peripherally involved in litigation when the crime against Mr. and Mrs. Sutton occurred.

This is the most horrendous tragedy, and I thank you sincerely for giving it the coverage it deserves.

It is hard for me to believe the father would testify against his son if he thought his adopted son, Christopher Sutton, were innocent. The Miami Herald coverage, while excellent, doesn't give nearly the context, and detail, afforded by the television coverage. The newspaper coverage, honestly, created the serious possibility Christopher Sutton is innocent.

However, your, and WFOR's, TV coverage, returns me to the impression that Christopher Sutton is probably guilty.

Aren't we lucky this did not happen to us.

Thank you again,

Jackson Rip Holmes
920 Sevilla Avenue, #206
Coral Gables, FL 33134
305-338-5000

Copyright 2010 by Sunbeam Television Corp.

Ursus:
Two photos, one of father and one of son, are posted at the link (Adobe Flash Player)...

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The Miami Herald
Posted on Thursday, 07.15.10

World of love couldn't prevent murder, dad testifies at son's trial
A Coral Gables lawyer, blinded in a 2004 slaying attempt, testified about his son, who is accused of hatching a plot to murder his parents. The defendant's mother was killed.

BY DAVID OVALLE · dovalle@MiamiHerald.com

His vision destroyed, his right eye disfigured and his family devastated, Coral Gables lawyer John R. Sutton has nevertheless lost none of his courtroom presence.

But this time, Sutton captivated jurors from the witness stand in a Miami courtroom, testifying Wednesday about the son accused of plotting to murder him and his wife, and the August 2004 night they both were shot -- his wife fatally -- by a mysterious hit man.

In heartfelt, charming and often chilling words, Sutton testified:

• That his son Christopher, adopted when he was just days old, enjoyed all the love and support of his well-heeled family through the years -- including many family trips, generous allowances and help finding work.

• About why he shipped his son, then a teen, to a tough reform school in Samoa: "He wanted to set the rules, to show he was the boss. We'd take him to school, and he'd go in the front door and out the back. With the passage of time, it became more and more difficult.''

• On settling into bed to watch on TV the night of the shooting, when a figure appeared at the bedroom door: "I see a black hat, black shirt and black pants and -- bam! Next thing, I remember being on the floor.''

After a frantic and dazed struggle to call police and blindly escape his house -- his wife lay dead in another bedroom -- Sutton recalled awakening in the hospital, his head throbbing, his mind confused, his body shattered by bullets.

"I was obliterated,'' he said, demonstrating for jurors where the bullets struck his face, blinding him.

Sutton was the final, and perhaps most anticipated, witness in the state's case against Christopher Sutton, 31, who is accused of plotting his parents' murders. The defense case for Christopher Sutton, charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder, begins Thursday.

Christopher Sutton's former pal, Garrett Kopp, testified last week that Christopher hired him to assassinate John and Susan Sutton in a scheme to inherit the lawyer's wealth. Kopp is serving 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to the crime.

Prosecutors say Christopher Sutton hated his parents because of the Samoa experience.

John Sutton's testimony -- in particular that he was shot without any confrontation -- may be key to refuting Sutton's defense: mainly that Kopp, a drug-crazed burglar, acted on his own and implicated his pal to avoid the death penalty.

The defense contends that Kopp believed his friend kept a drug stash at his parents' home on Orduna Drive, and that he broke in to steal it.

But prosecutors used John Sutton to shoot down the drug allegation. Sutton testified that Christopher did not have ready access to their house after his parents, suspicious of his lifestyle, never gave him a key.

"We had some trust problems,'' Sutton told prosecutor Kathleen Hoague.

Sutton also testified that his son's old bedroom, where Susan Sutton was fatally shot as she lay covered by a comforter, no longer had any of Christopher's furniture where drugs could be hidden.

Neither side asked Sutton whether he believed his son plotted the shooting.

Sutton painted a tortured picture of a son afforded lots of love and opportunities, but who constantly rebelled.

Much of his testimony revolved around the decision in the late 1990s to send Christopher to Paradise Cove, a controversial reform school in Samoa.

After much research, the Suttons sent two retired police officers to escort Christopher to the airport.

"He was most unhappy and upset,'' Sutton said.

In Samoa, Sutton said, he believed Christopher was happy and had made friends.

"He was an amazing volleyball player. They played volleyball on the beach,'' Sutton said.''

But Sutton admitted that a special court order was needed to keep his son there past his 18th birthday. After his return, Christopher Sutton sometimes groused about the 30 months spent in Samoa, he said.

Mostly, Sutton recalled, he and his wife butted heads with Christopher about finances and his listless lifestyle after his return from Samoa.

The Suttons paid rent for Christopher, who was supposed to work or attend college. His son pressed him for a bigger allowance, Sutton said. An argument also erupted about Christopher's misuse of money slated to pay his auto insurance.

After the shooting, Christopher Sutton pressed his recovering father to give him control over the family finances, and to sell the Coral Gables house, he testified.

Defense attorney Bruce Fleisher cross-examined Sutton cordially, asking about father-son trips to football games and family getaways to the Keys and Bimini.

The apparent strategy: to support the defense claim that Christopher Sutton loved his parents and had no reason to want them dead.


Copyright 2010 Miami Herald Media Co.

Ursus:
Comments left for the above article, "World of love couldn't prevent murder, dad testifies at son's trial" (by David Ovalle, 07.15.10, The Miami Herald):


arideinthepark wrote on 07/15/2010 08:35:40 AM:
a tragedy..no matter what the outcome of the trial.feelquiet wrote on 07/15/2010 09:35:00 AM:
Indeed a tragedy. This is the first time I've seen an article mention that he was adopted.

In the nature vs nurture debate, I think there has to be room for the "bad seed". Not just with adoptions, but even with biological parents, some kids are just naturally bad, and no amount of love or discipline will set them straight. Chris Sutton sounds like a bad seed.sybilwolf wrote on 07/15/2010 10:41:11 AM:

--- Quote ---Replying to feelquiet (07/15/2010 09:35:00 AM):
"Indeed a tragedy. This is the first time I've seen an article mention that he was adopted.

In the nature vs nurture debate, I think there has to be room for the "bad seed". Not just with adoptions, but even with biological parents, some kids are just naturally bad, and no amount of love or...":
--- End quote ---
I remember reading that he was adopted when this happened.

Scary, though. The house is across the canal from my boyfriend's back yard![/list]
rbquinn wrote on 07/15/2010 04:55:07 PM:
Both children were adopted! The boy was a disaster, the girl is a sweetheart!Observer101 wrote on 07/15/2010 04:55:58 PM:
How's that "World of Love" working out for ya? Seems like if you REALLY loved your son, you would have been a little more willing to eliminate his "entitlement" way of life......Observer101 wrote on 07/15/2010 05:00:19 PM:
Both children were adopted! The boy was a disaster, the girl is a sweetheart!
================================================

They become disasters because PEOPLE LET THEM get away with it...... UNTIL IT'S TOO LATE... I'll bet you the sister can tell you plenty of times that this guy got away with things that he shouldn't have, because (as the parents most likely said), "that's just the way he is"......jlleon7 wrote on 07/15/2010 05:38:14 PM:
It seems to me the son is not guilty. I have read no credible evidence that he committed this crime. The gentleman who framed the son sounds guilty to me.jlleon7 wrote on 07/15/2010 05:39:50 PM:
This family would benefit from counseling.byemiami wrote on 07/15/2010 06:53:16 PM:
As someone who has known the Sutton family since Christopher and his sister were little kids,I was,as other friends were,totally shocked.Within seconds after my friend told me the news,I said to him-"CHRISTOPHER!"
The physical and emotional pain John has gone through is unimaginable.How would you like to go through the rest of your life blind knowing your son was responsible for the death of your wife and your life sentence of darkness?
The way John has learned to live without his sight and his positive attitude makes me know he is a better man than I could be in this circumstance.escuchar wrote on 07/15/2010 07:14:55 PM:
In the words of Kurtz, as he lay dying, in Apocalypse Now, "The horror... the horror..."axl wrote on 07/15/2010 07:34:01 PM:

--- Quote ---Replying to jlleon7 (07/15/2010 05:38:14 PM):
"It seems to me the son is not guilty. I have read no credible evidence that he committed this crime. The gentleman who framed the son sounds guilty to me.":
--- End quote ---
It seems to me that you are a total moron. Unless you've been in the courtroom throughout the trial, you really have no way of knowing if Sutton is guilty or not. And your comment that the family needs counseling is so stupid that it doesn't even deserve to be called moronic.[/list]
sfdb wrote on 07/16/2010 02:56:43 PM:

--- Quote ---Replying to laxl (07/15/2010 07:34:01 PM):
"It seems to me that you are a total moron. Unless you've been in the courtroom throughout the trial, you really have no way of knowing if Sutton is guilty or not. And your comment that the family needs counseling is so stupid that it doesn't even deserve to be called moronic.":
--- End quote ---
Well said.[/list]
Bermuda1 wrote on 07/16/2010 11:52:22 PM:
John Sutton is a fine, courageous man. He is also an amazing lawyer. My heart goes out to him for the loss of his wife and his serious injury. He is truly remarkable to carry on after this terrible tragedy.EyemNotFree wrote on 07/19/2010 06:25:09 PM:
Give em some goober mental religious drugs. Who cares about justice? Lawyers are destroying the bill of rights big time.
People that defend this monsters actions of kidnapping a citizen and sending him around the world is horrific. This 31 year old boy was forced into dealing drugs. Most likely had his real parents defaults rubbed in his nose. Typical bully capitalists.EyemNotFree wrote on 07/19/2010 06:27:23 PM:

--- Quote ---Replying to Bermuda1 (07/16/2010 11:52:22 PM):
"John Sutton is a fine, courageous man. He is also an amazing lawyer. My heart goes out to him for the loss of his wife and his serious injury. He is truly remarkable to carry on after this terrible tragedy.":
--- End quote ---
He is a lawyer. . .
An enemy of the Constitution of the USA and the Bill of Rights[/list]
EyemNotFree wrote on 07/19/2010 06:29:47 PM:

--- Quote ---Replying to laxl (07/15/2010 07:34:01 PM):
"It seems to me that you are a total moron. Unless you've been in the courtroom throughout the trial, you really have no way of knowing if Sutton is guilty or not. And your comment that the family needs counseling is so stupid that it doesn't even deserve to be called moronic.":
--- End quote ---
Who wants to be in the courtroom? It is an evil place. Anybody that has to go to court needs counseling after the forced lying rituals.
I do not trust god.[/list]
fredo161 wrote on 07/20/2010 02:01:16 PM:
If you were on trial for murder, wouldn't you at least put on a tie?foxtail wrote on 07/21/2010 09:44:19 PM:

--- Quote ---Replying to arideinthepark (07/15/2010 08:35:40 AM):
"a tragedy..no matter what the outcome of the trial.":
--- End quote ---
What were the classes that the boy attended growing up? Special classes?
Did his school record indicate problems as a child? Sounds like he has difficulty with authority figures or his father would not have researched a school such as the one he did. There is more here that meets the eye on the surface. This was a problem child ...on more than ONE occasion[/list]


Copyright 2010 Miami Herald Media Co.

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